4 Injuries Hockey Players try to Avoid

So lately I have been studying hockey injuries and looking over many, and I mean more than 100 different NHL injuries. I decided to share what I believe are the top five injuries that no hockey player would want to suffer from. Yes, sports injuries are inevitable and every player receives at least one injury in their career (professional or non professional), some are out for days, too months and there are others whose injuries are career ending but these are the ones most players try to avoid as much as possible.

1) The first injury I believe is one of the worst for hockey players is Eye/Facial injury. Many NHL players have suffered either a stick or a puck to the face. Some are worse than others but I find this one of the worst reading past stories of players who has suffered from this sort of injury and many have found themselves out for a long time to career ending.

An example of a less serious eye injury that was received but notable (probably because he suffered a concussion as well) would be the one Maurice ‘The Rocket’ Richard suffered in 1952. He was checked hard and his head on the ice. The cut above his eye caused bleeding and he went to get fixed. He later returned to the game with a bandage over his eye and he scored the winning goal for that game.

A worse eye injury was in 1979 during a game with the New York Rangers, where goalie Bernie Parent (from the Philadelphia Flyers) got a stick in the eye (while he was wearing a fibreglass mask). The injury caused him to go temporary blind for a couple of weeks. He regained his eyesight but the injury put an end to his career (He is the reason goalies now wear bird cage masks).

Al MacInnis received a high sticking in the eye during 2001. In 2003 he got injured again which he suffered a detached retina in the same eye that was injured. He decided not to come back after this injury.

With many of these injuries eye injuries happening, the NHL should make full face masks legal.

2) The next injury I am think is the worst out of them all is a fractured skull. Believe it or not, it seems to happen in the NHL more often than people would think, or want. Ted Green, who played for Boston got luckywhen he was in a stick-swinging duel and got the stick over the head. He fell to the ice and received a fractured skull with some brain damage. He missed a full entire season, but he did return yet had to play with a helmet. (back when helmets were not mandatory).

In 1933, Ace Baileys career was ended and his life almost ended after he got hit by Toronto’s Red Horner. Bailey received a fractured skull and had emergency surgery and it barely saved his life. They however had a settlement later on where they shook hands and the image became famous.

3) Knee injury. Every hockey player somehow hurts their legs, whether it is a twist, a break or torn muscles. I find the knees are one of the worst places to become injured. When the injury occurs it seems like it takes a long time to get healed and has a lot more chances re-injuring the same ligaments. It is really hard to heal 100%, and takes a lot of physiotherapy and patience. Common places for knee injuries are the ACL, PCL, and Meniscus.

One of the more recent injuries happened to a Montreal Canadiens player in 2013 right before the playoffs. This said player is defenseman Alexei Emelin. During the game against the Bruins he tried to check Boston forward Milan Lucic but he bounced off and fell into the boards. He got unlucky with this injury as he tore his MCL and ACL in his left knee and had to have reconstructive surgery. It is looking good and he will be coming back at some point before the end of 2013… but there are others who are not so lucky.

Another bad ACL injury happened in a 1998 playoff game between Dallas Stars and San Jose. Joe Nieuwendyk from the Stars got an awkward hit from Bryan Marchment which resulted in a painfully torn ACL for the Stars center. He needed two surgeries to repair the damages and missed the rest of the playoffs and the beginning of the next season.

4) Finally the last one that I find too many players receive is a brutal injury that is not to be taken lightly. This injury is a concussion. So many players have received concussions on the ice from either falling or getting hit over the head, that I believe this issue should be addressed.

There was one concussion that was so bad that he was the one and hopefully the only person to ever have an on ice death. No, he did not die on the ice; but it was his last time being conscious. This person was Bill Masterton from the Minnesota North Stars. He was checked from behind and his head hit the ice and started to bleed what was remembered as thick and clotty blood. He then slipped into a coma and died a few days later. (The Masterton trophy was named after him).

As I have said, there are way too many players who have received concussions to give a full list. But in the near future, I will be giving my list of the top 50 NHL injuries from when hockey started, to now, that I believe were the worst.

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